A hands on style of coaching

Even as one of the most accomplished coaches in Bethel High history, Selleck never compromised his methods for success.

Not that he ever needed gimmicks to win. Or gratuitous rage, for that matter.

In 17 years of coaching soccer, Selleck's teams won three state championships and four Western Connecticut Conference crowns.

For nearly a generation, his program was the standard in the WCC, the program everyone wanted to beat.

But when you came up short, like most schools did in those days, Selleck stuck out his hand and said, "Good game." And you knew he meant it.

On Wednesday night, Selleck sat at a picnic table at Hatters Park in Danbury and shook even more hands. His wife, Janet, sat across from him and smiled at the attention, all of it well-deserved.

Selleck, 74, was one of nine people honored by the Greater Danbury Old Timers Association under the big pavilion. He will be formally recognized Sept. 27 at the group's annual banquet at the Amber Room Colonnade in Danbury.

But on a July night when the Old Timers awarded 10 college scholarships, each worth $1,000, it was a chance to pay tribute to people like Selleck, a man who also coached basketball, cross country, baseball and softball at Bethel High.

"I learned so much playing sports -- so much about life, so much about myself," Selleck said. "You learn early on, if you're down 10 points late in the game, you're always going to lose if you don't try to win.

"But if you try to win, if you keep fighting and giving it your best shot, you never know what'll happen," Selleck went on. "It's the same thing in life. You can't stop trying. You always have to do your best."

Selleck, who grew up in Thomaston, still remembers playing Danny Garamella's great Abbott Tech teams for Housatonic Valley League bragging rights in 1950 and 1951.

"The first year, we beat them by one point in the championship game," said Selleck, who walked across the stage as part of Thomaston High's 32-member Class of 1951. "The second year, my senior year, we had a little bit more breathing room."

"I would've had a lot of 3-point goals in those days, but they didn't have the 3-point shot," grinned Selleck, a huge UConn women's basketball fan. "I was more of a shooter. I didn't get under the basket much with all those elbows."

After graduating from college in 1955, Selleck headed straight to Bethel High, where he spent the next 40 years.

When he wasn't coaching, Selleck was teaching kids about the world outside their front doors. History and social studies became his passports to their minds.

And yet, Selleck is probably best known as a soccer and basketball coach at Bethel High, "a real gentleman," as Abbott Tech athletic director Tony Gorman called him Wednesday night.

"I remember Fran playing for the college when I was a kid. He was a very good player," Gorman said. "I also refereed two of the state championships he won in soccer.

"I remember when I first broke into coaching basketball, he was always very nice to me. He's a great guy," Gorman added. "He always had the kids at heart. I'm very happy that he's being honored by the Old Timers."

As a senior at Danbury State Teachers College, Selleck was named team captain and the designation meant everything to him. It was the kind of honor a man treasures for a lifetime.

Selleck felt much the same Wednesday night at Hatters Park.

"When I was named captain, it was the highlight of my career there," Selleck said. "When I found out I was being honored by the Old Timers, it was even more of a surprise.

"Even though I played in college here and taught here, I didn't grow up here," Selleck went on. "I'm very grateful to everyone who had a part in this. It means a lot to me being honored by the Old Timers."

Although he doesn't wear a whistle anymore, Selleck still slides into driver's education cars every summer. He also comes back to school as a substitute teacher.

Even after all this time, you see, Selleck still loves working with kids.